e23062 Background: The analysis of EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF mutations and Alk fusion is critical for guiding targeted therapy selection, detecting drug resistance, and monitoring residual disease in patients with NSCLC. Designing next-generation sequencing (NGS) assays for detecting low-frequency variants, however, is an ongoing challenge. The limited availability of cfDNA combined with the breadth of coverage necessary to create meaningful, clinically-actionable results requires a solution with multiplex capacity which, in turn, requires greater technological sensitivity and specificity. Here we aim to develop such a solution: an ultra-accurate NGS technology using concatmer-based error correction with amplicon workflow for fast detection of rare mutations including SNV and fusion. Methods: We developed an amplicon-based panel covering variants of EGFR, BRAF, and KRAS, as well as a panel to detect Alk fusion. CfDNA simulate and cfDNA from healthy individuals were used to test assay sensitivity and specificity. Further validation was performed via a comparative analysis of 64 late-stage lung cancer patients using both Firefly -Comet and ddPCR. Results: Analytical sensitivity of the EGFR-TKI 3-gene panel was 100% detection at an allele frequency of 0.1% for 20ng of cfDNA input. Similarly, analytical sensitivity of the Alk fusion panel was 75% detection at an allele frequency of 0.1% and 100% at an allele frequency of 0.25% for the same input. Among our patient cohort, 5 EGFR variants (19del, T790M, L858R, G719X, L861X) and 2 KRAS variant (G12X) were detected. Firefly-Comet demonstrated strong per-variant detection-rate concordance ( > 99%) compared to ddPCR results. The PPV is 100% and the NPV is 98.7%. Statistical analysis of reported allele frequency concordance between Firefly-Comet and ddPCR reveals R-Sq > 0.9. Conclusions: In summary, we have developed Firefly-Comet, an easy-to-use amplicon-based NGS assay capable of detecting single-digit copies of somatic mutants and gene fusions in cfDNA. The multiplex capacity of Firefly-Comet makes it well-suited for supporting targeted therapy selection, drug resistance detection, and treatment monitoring.
Diagnostic Value and Prognostic Significance of Pleural C-Reactive Protein in Lung Cancer Patients with Malignant Pleural Effusions